USMNT roster takeaways: Goalkeeper competition a positive and why no Weston McKennie isn't a concern

The U.S. men's national team seems eager to soft-launch a new era, even if the head coach they hope will lead them through it will not be on the touchline just yet.

As the wait for Mauricio Pochettino to officially take the reins continues, the USMNT roster for their September friendlies against Canada and New Zealand is an attempt to freshen things up as the countdown to the 2026 World Cup begins. Change was due after the USA's group stage exit at the Copa America and while the biggest shift will come with a new head coach, exploring the team's options in a wider player pool is a must with few comPetitive Games on the schedule. Interim head coach Mikey Varas will have the chance to do just that this month and assist the national team as they aim to put the Copa America behind them.

As the USMNT's September camp gets underway, here are some takeaways from a new-look roster.

No worries on Weston McKennie

Though 18 members of the USMNT's Copa America roster return, one notable name is off the roster this time around -- midfielder Weston McKennie. While he failed to impress at the summer tournament, his exclusion from the September friendlies is not a sign that his status on the national team is in jeopardy.

McKennie will stay in Italy during the international break to reacclimate at Juventus after a turbulent offseason. For the second summer in a row, the midfielder was told he was surplus and seemed likely to leave the club, only to stay put. He is now part of new manager Thiago Motta's plans and signed a contract extension until 2026 in accordance, but because of the saga, he missed out on weeks of preseason training. McKennie will use the next two weeks to regain fitness before Juventus return to play on Sept. 15 at Empoli.

Youth-focused selection was needed

A crop of younger players are being mixed in with an experienced group, offering a chance for Varas -- and Gregg Berhalter's eventual successor -- to freshen up the competition for spots across the roster. Two of the most notable inclusions are goalkeeper Patrick Schulte and defender Caleb Wiley, who are just weeks removed from reaching the quarterfinals at the Olympics with the U-23 team, allowing the summer to end on a positive note for the U.S. men's program after the disappointment of the Copa America.

The pair are not the only fresh faces in camp, though. Defender Auston Trusty is back in the frame after making his USMNT debut last year, while defender Marlon Fossey and goalkeeper Diego Kochen are on the hunt for their first caps. The 18-year-old Kochen is an up-and-comer, but the 26-year-old Trusty and 25-year-old Fossey are experienced players who are getting another shot in the national team set-up, Fossey especially. The former youth international has not been with the national teams since 2019, quietly wandering Europe until settling at Standard Liege in 2022.

It's an early sign that the USMNT's coaching staff is willing to search far and wide for talent, a crucial first step to identifying the best look for this team moving forward. It's likely Varas' top priority as an interim, who may mimic Twila Kilgore during her stint as the U.S. women's national team's temporary head coach before EMMA Hayes' arrival in the spring. Though Varas is unlikely to stick around as long as Kilgore, who led the USWNT from September 2023 to April 2024, her player identification proved crucial to the USWNT's gold medal win in Paris.

Goalkeeper competition a positive

Few positions need fresh competition more than the goalkeeper position, where Matt Turner has been a starter with doubters. He was Berhalter's first choice heading into the 2022 World Cup and has been there since, but he is error prone at both the club and international level. Making matters worse, he has rarely been a starter at the club level since leaving MLS for England in the summer of 2022 and that likely will not change soon -- he joined Crystal Palace on loan from Nottingham Forest on transfer deadline day, but he will be a backup there, too, barring an injury to starter Dean Henderson. 

Ethan Horvath, his longtime USMNT backup, has been making a case for himself after becoming a regular at Cardiff City earlier this year, while Kochen seems too inexperienced to put his hat in the ring right now. The person who could shake things up immediately, though, is Schulte. The 23-year-old has impressed since becoming Columbus Crew's starter, winning MLS Cup last year and beating Gaga Slonina to the starting spot at the Olympics. He's fairly untested at the senior levels of the Game but he's as encouraging a prospect as they come, which means he may have eyes on the USMNT starting job as soon as this month.